A Closing Comfort

I’m writing this on my flight to Costa Rica. It is unreal y’all. I never would have imagined that I would be headed to live in another country, fully immersing myself into the culture, for a month. A month is a very short period of time but I am stepping WAY outside of my comfort zone. I had always imagined traveling to different country for luxury and exploration, not to leave my freedom of the sweet summer in Knoxville, Tennessee. I did not want to place myself into a situation of the unknown, especially one in which I was alone.

Let me share something with you: God will have His way with you whether you’re excited about it or not. When Costa Rica was placed on my heart, I thought the idea was obscure. I had never been out of the country, I had only flown once before, and I had just began to grasp the intimacy and sweetness of my relationship with God. What I did know is that I was being called to do something more this summer. When I shared the idea with those who were close to me, I was encouraged. I bounced around several different options for my summer. My favorite of which included working and taking summer classes; it was comfortable and productive. It sounded great, but I knew deeply that Knoxville was not where I needed to be. I was being called to seek the Lord in new fellowship.

Long story short, I applied for the trip in Costa Rica. I had two interviews following my application, and I was accepted. I paid a deposit to confirm my decision and didn’t think twice. I was able to fundraise half of my fees, and I funded the rest. I put in for a leave of absence at work. I finished my spring semester and was counting down to June 1st.

In the mean time, God was working. I was able to share a piece of my testimony by simply telling others about my upcoming trip to Costa Rica. In turn, a door was opened for others to share pieces of their testimonies with me. I was talking to friends, family, coworkers, supervisors, and complete strangers! The most powerful conversations came out of my workplace. Never in my life would I dream of speaking to my management about Jesus and their walk with Him, but I did. I was struck with a realization the night before I left. I had not left the country yet. I was not at church. I was in a place of work, a place where I did not seek close relationships with anyone. The simple act of requesting time off of work and explaining why compelled other to tell me about their relationships with Jesus! This is the moment I knew God had big plans for my summer.

So here I am after four days of training camp. I have had four days of intense training on how to listen, how to pray, how to live in community with a body of believers, how to evangelize, how to share my testimony, how to forgive, how to understand my role in the Kingdom, how to show love on those who don’t know how to receive it, how to teach, and most importantly how to live out my identity in Christ. I feel empowered and equipped to not only bring the gospel to the nations but also bring it back home.

God didn’t promise a comfortable life, but He did promise a comfort found in Him and through Him. I am still on my way to unknown terrain with people I hardly know. I have no idea what we will be doing or how we will be living. What has changed between my initial thoughts on Costa Rica and now is the fact that we were not called to live in comfort and I have came to a peace with that.

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ
Philippians 3:7-8